Sheet-glass-drawing apparatus



R..G. EWING.

SHEET GLASS DRAWING APPARATUS. APPLlCATlON FILED AUGJ, 1919.

1,399,547. Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

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IIIIIIIIIIII I/ 'IIIIIL ET R. G, EWING.

SHEET GLASS DRAWING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I, 1919.

Patented Dec. fi, 1921..

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specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. ti, Tril /Ell.

application filed. August 1., 1919. tlerial lilo, tll lfifiltl.

T 0 all'wkom it may concern:

.Be it known that l, Bonner G. Ewrno,a subject of the King of Great Britain, resid ing at Toledo, Lucas county, Ohio, have invented new and useful Sheet-Glass-Drawing Apparatus, of whichfthe following is a speci fication.

This invention relates to the manufacture of sheet glass, and more particularly to the continuous drawing thereof from a pool of molten glass and from thence to pass over a bending roll.

This invention has utility when incorporated in apparatus for the manufacture of sheet glass, especially in connection with rolls used for lifting, drawing, carrying, directing, or surface finishing sheet glass, and the provision of devices for so handling the glass that the surface thereof may not be chilled nor the glass be clouded.

Sheet glass as drawn from a molten pool has a clear fire finish. To avoid chilling, clouding tor dulling ell'ects on such highly finished glass surface, even after passing rolls, is attained by the invention herein.

Glass, when in a weldin molten state readily adheres to metal, as iron, when such iron is heated to redness. This welding of glass to hot metal is utilized in drawing glass, wherein a metal bait is heated, dipped into the molten glass to weld therewith, and then on removal therefrom, may draw a sheet (if the bait be flat) from the molten glass pool. In drawing glass, the portion handled rapidly changes in character from the molten state to a plastic, semi-plastic, pliable with out plasticity, soft vitreous and hard vitreous states or conditions in this order. In these latter conditions there is no tendency of the glass to adhere to metal of equal nor even of greater temperature unless the glass remains in contact therewith a sufficient time to soften.

Herein it is contemplated to use rolls on the glass sheet in the continuous manufacture of sheet glass when the glass is in a semi-plastic state, as in smoothing the surface thereof; or in a pliable or bending condition, as for changing the direction of sheet travel, say from vertical to horizontal, or vice versa; or in the treatment or handling in the leer. The feature of the rolls is that they shall be brought substantiallyto the temperature of the glass at the point of engagement of the glass by the-roll.

lln accordance with the invention herein,

this approximation of the temperature oi" the glass by the contacting roll is usually obtained by heatin such roll. Chilling et feet of the-roll on the glass is thus avoided continuously throughout the manufacture. In this simple manner, without extra treatment of the glass, the superior initial fire finish is the finish or the final product. The heat radiation rate of the roll tends to maintain the contact regions of the roll much below that of the glass, and this detrimental condition is most seriously aggravated. by water circulation for cooling the roll away from an adhering temperature as to the glass. Such failure to take into account but the one condition of the glass and to meet such by getting the roll into condition to attack the glass is expensive. lhe waves of the bend become permanent, the surface is chilled and rendered undesirable as a trans parency or smooth surface article, to cure which polishing is resorted to, and also reheating.

As an embodiment of, the invention for taking into account the condition. of the glass and the temperature of the glass contacting rolls, for directly producing continuously sheet glass, attention is directed to the at ture controlled glass contacting roll of a continuous sheet glass apparatus;

Fig. 4: is a section on the line IV -IV, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view oi. a glass contacting roll of a continuous sheet glass manufacturing apparatus in which the temperature is controlled by an electric heater, instead of by a gas burner or furnace as shown in Fig. 3.

Tubular roll 1 (Fig. 3) is rotatably mounted at each end in suitable bearings 52 carried by a support or wall 3 of refractory material of the general housing of the continuous sheet glass manufacturing apparatus. A.

' desired type oi. roller or ball bearings may be Within the bore of the roll 1, concentrically disposed longitudinally thereof is a perforated tubular heat radiating furnace member of suitable relative diameter as to 5 the roll 1. This member 5 is fixedly supported as here shown, independently of the roll 1 by reducers 6 having threaded connection with the member 5 and threaded mounting on mixer tubes 7. Squared enlargemeut 8 on the mixer tube 6 holds such tube from rotation as mounted in spider 9 connected by screws 10 to the bearing 2, The position of the furnace member or burner 5 with the reducers 6 end tubes 7 is thus fixed concentric of the roll 1 as aheating device.

The mixer tubes 7 have their outer ends flared, or conicelly enlarged in form gas mixing chambers 11, having s central opening or orifice 12 at its outer end, concentric with the tubular portion of the tubes 7. Gus siipplfnozzle 13 extends into the opening 12 to conduct gas into the burner or furnace as delivered by supply pipe 14. i 'lbout the nozzle 13 and the opening 12 is en annular series of air feeding openings 15, the air supply through which for with the gaseous fuel, may be adjusted by rotation of the perforated closure plete 16 to bring the openings of the plate 16 into or out of regis try with the opei'iings 15. Manual control of the supply of gaseous fuel to the nozzle 13 may be adjusted by valve 1?, While more delicate regulation is effected by needle 18 having it squared end 19 to which at wrench may be applied in shifting the needle as to the nozzle 13. addition to this primary 7 supply of air for mixing with the fuel in the chamber 3.1, sir supply to the burner or furnace may puss in the open end of the roll 1 between the arms of the spider. 9. The burner details may be omitted with a direct supply at a heating medium for the roll, say by hot gases or hot sir-from pipe 1%.

In the substitution of elcctric heating devices for the gaseous fuel burner, as shown in Fig. 5, roll 20 may provided with a tubular journal 21 adapted to rotate in hearing 22 secured in the su pport or refractory housing will 3. The roll 20 has a terminal annular flange 23 with perforations therein to register with perforations in annular flange 24 of the journal 21, so that bolts 25 may in asseinlling the journal with the roll also mount insulation or asbestos disk 26 therebetween.

Concentricnlly through this roller 20 e tends an electric heater 27, provided at its ends with tubular end reducers 28which extend concent ically through the journals 21 of the roll 26, and through the bearings 22 secured in the support 3, and also crinti-ally and fixedly through spider '39 which. is mounted on the beerin 22, To maintain the journal 21 against inward movement race through the bearing 21, a fiunge 30 is prw vided on the journal 21 adjacent the bean ing 22.

The reducers 28 supporting the heater 27 away from the roll 20, also serve as casings for insulated conductors 31, 32, which prefcrably extend through c porcelain core 33 embedded in the reducers 2S and which connect the heater resistance .27 to ilucc it in circuit with a source of electricity, prcicr- 7 ably through a control device, as u rhcostzit 3e, whichmay be automatically controlled by e pyrometer device 35 in an air line 35" past pyrcnieter 35.

The pyroinetcr device 35, instead of open 3 sting the rheostut ill: may operui'c r. valve 36 in gas supply line ll. and thus ciloct an automatic temperature control operstiou of the gas heater or furnace for the roll 1. The products of combustion from the burner (i 6;; in the roll 1 may puss therefrom, 21s by open ings 37.

Thus constructed, whether the gas heated roll 1 or the electrically lieuted'roll 20 be used in an apparatus for the co drawing of sleet glass as herein dis the roll may be readily, and c on nut in cully inaintuincd all a degree to the temperature of the glz of its contacting with the roll. Under ,licsc 9C circumstiuices, the surface of the glass at such point or" roll contact will neither be chilled to produce permanent wuves or bends of its surface, or fused to adhere to the roll. This roll, therefore, is u. factor in mai ntuining the sheet fiat. 'lhcrcfore the rolls 1 or 20, will not destroy the lire linish. of the glass, which the initiu ly has as drawn from the molten pool or glass tunic in working hereunder for glass which would 1 have a flattening temperature of 1200" it is desirable that the glass in passing over the bending roll have such coiupcruiirely low bendin tein fieruture. it will l'llllii not tend to StiCK to the roll, nor tend to spontuneously crystallize forming; pits or objectionable characteristics of so called. burned point glass.

In the installation of the rolls hereunder with pyroinetcrs 35 there may be iudi tion of temperature, instead of direct cutocutic temperature controlv l'i'hilc the rolls used may be made of any suitublc melul or ull'oy highly polished on its surface, or even carbon or graphite, the latter may tend. to 6.320 flake oil and become rough or mur the glass, and it is preferred ,to use an alloy of nickel 65%. copper and iron 39%.

The rolls may be rotated by the action of the sheet glass being drawn tllGlT11 TOSS or thcrcovcr, in contact with the rolls, while as shown in Fig. 3 the collar 30 may be provided with teeth. and through gearing- 38 from motor 39 (Fig. 1} rolls as desired may be power actuated or positively driven ties the m1 t-sxr and timmby m m with the 105 Mel Mini; Eu si'zefiat m sjmchmrnWm 63h R 21m], Hm bend its widt', m

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the ad the pool for contacting the continuous sheet comprising a container for a pool of glass, of glass as passing from the pool, means in a 'roll for contacting the glass, means for the roll for raising the temperature of the drawing the glass sheet past the roll from 10 the roll above the temperature of the glass, the pool, and heating means for controlling 5 and a leer to which the sheet glass is conthe temperature of the roll.

ducted from the bending roll In witness whereof I aflix In signature.

8. A sheet glass manufacturing :upparatus ROBERT EWING. 

